Donal Lenihan casts an eye over what lies ahead for rugby fans in next 12 months
If you’re a rugby fan, the next 12 months, culminating with the Rugby World Cup in England and Wales, promise a roller coaster ride like no other since the advent of professionalism changed the landscape forever back in 1995.
Rugby now enters its 20th season since that seismic decision in Paris when the IRB as a collective body announced the game was to go ‘open’. The ground rules have changed appreciably over the last 12 months with the advent of the new European Rugby Champions Cup, the standout alteration this season. Even the governing body has got in on the act with a rebranding which will see the IRB assume the rather more grandiose title of World Rugby from November next.
The battle in the boardroom of the newly-formed EPRC should be every bit as captivating as any action on the field as the warring factions from the six European rugby unions and the representatives of Premiership Rugby (PRL), their French club counterparts (LNR) and the Welsh regions (RRW) attempt to put the bitter war of words that dominated the airwaves for much of last season behind them.
Having spent so much time berating the actions of the ERC, it is somewhat ironic that the new governing body has had to re-employ the vast majority of that organisation’s workforce to run this season’s tournament after encountering a number of teething problems.
We are now less than three weeks from the start of the tournament and we are yet to see what the new trophy looks like. If you are planning to travel to away games in rounds three and four in December, you still have no idea whether the games of your choice are on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. That is a joke.
No doubt once the games start we will all get absorbed in what will undoubtedly be an even more competitive tournament now that it has been reduced to 20 teams. It would be equally compelling to be a fly-on-the-wall and observe the interaction of the vested parties in the boardroom.
Closer to home, all four provinces have also embraced change, none more so than Munster with their all new indigenous coaching set up. While nobody can question Anthony Foley’s credentials for the position of head coach or the fact he was destined — in the same way, perhaps, as Ronan O’Gara is — to take over the reins in Munster at some stage, I finished up last season fully of the opinion that Rob Penney’s performance in his brief tenure warranted the two-year contract that would have kept him at Munster. The 12-month extension offered left him with an easy decision to make when compared with what the Japanese put on the table.
That’s all water under the bridge now, however, and it will be fascinating to see how Foley and his young management charges cope with the demands of leading one of the most storied names in the game, north or south of the equator.
Foley’s tenure could not have got off to a more difficult start, having to deal with issues that were none of his making. The circulation of the squad performance spreadsheet was careless in the extreme but was down to nothing more than human error. There has been a fallout from this, especially for a few players whose contracts are up for renewal at the end of the season. At least they have an early indication of where they stand and plenty of time to alter current perceptions.
In the circumstances, Foley has dealt well with the crisis management issues to date and now appreciates, if he was in a any doubt, that the lead role is about far more than coaching on the field.
The loss for four months of Keith Earls comes on top of Tyler Bleyendaal’s injury woes and reduces Munster’s options in an area of the field where they are already hard pressed. Reports emanating from Canterbury suggest he is a quality performer with a great vision for the game. Munster looked certain to employ him as an additional play-maker at inside centre to add the creative spark that is badly needed.
You may well ask the question, if he is that good then why is he not a regular starter for the Crusaders in Super 15 rugby? The presence of four current All Blacks fighting for a slot in that 10/12 axis in Dan Carter, Colin Slade, Tom Taylor and Ryan Crotty is the simple answer to that one.
Foley has been unlucky on the injury front with the frustrating delay in the return to action of Donnacha Ryan and Keith Earls the latest blow. Those injuries have reduced his options considerably.
Ulster have put the fallout from a very damaging close season with the loss of rugby director David Humphries and head coach Mark Anscombe firmly behind them with an impressive start to their Guinness Pro 12 season, at least to the point of that shock defeat to Zebre last Saturday. However, the real test comes from here on in with Ireland’s highly regarded assistant coach Les Kiss now heading back to Dublin to team up with Joe Schmidt and resume his primary function with the national squad.
The story of the season so far, despite that loss to Glasgow Warriors last Friday night, is being played out in the west, with Connacht currently ahead of both Munster and Leinster in the table after four rounds of games. All three of their opening contests were one-score wins, the type of game they seemed incapable of closing out last season.
To have started so well in advance of the arrival of high profile signings Mils Muliaina, Tom McCartney and Bundee Aki bodes well and could yet prove problematic for Munster. One of the positive changes for the Pro12 as an entity from the fallout in Europe last season is the advent of qualification for the Champions Cup, with only seven teams going forward automatically. With 12 points already after four games — it took them 11 matches last season to accumulate a similar haul — Connacht have put themselves in a strong position and should become even more competitive when the cavalry arrive.
With two league defeats apiece already, both Munster and Leinster will view Saturday’s encounter at the Aviva Stadium as a potential game-changer to kick start their season. Leinster have been here before and utilise this fixture to launch their season in earnest.
Munster have never beaten them in the palatial surrounds of rugby headquarters and in the context of everything that has happened to date, Munster could really do with a win in this one. Either way, both management teams will have a clearer picture of what lies ahead when the final whistle blows on Saturday night.
